


Some Way To Leave An Impression

by ceaseexistence



Category: Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hope you enjoy, Idk what to say anymore, Other, angst???, beta read? nah, fluff???, im trying, is this how you do tags????, more tags will be added along the way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22066768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceaseexistence/pseuds/ceaseexistence
Summary: When Lydia is gone for school, the house gets more boring than it already was. Beetlejuice, to avoid ripping his own hair out, heads out and tries to find someone else to bother. Alas, he stumbles upon ___, a newly moved in non-binary person, a quite reclused and strange individual who shall not take any crap from anybody, especially from him. What shall these two be up to?(This writing is based on a prompt, which was provided and is not originally written by me.)
Relationships: Beetlejuice & Adam Maitland & Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice & Lydia Deetz & Original Character(s), Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice) & Reader, Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice)/Gender Neutral Reader, Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice)/Original Character(s), Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice)/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 57





	1. Just Poppin' In

**BJ’s PoV:**

I sigh, my nose pressed against the glass as I watch Lydia’s school bus roll away in its full toxic yellow glory. I let my legs float up as I unstick myself from the glass. It’s been a solid five breather minutes, and boredom already found the time to slither behind my eyes. Monday’s were the worst. School was the worst. I look up, or well, down at the floor and let myself float down, situating myself on the carpet. Pondering my choices on what to do for the day by staring at the ceiling, my fingers start fiddling with my tie. The Maitlands were busy for the past 3 days with clearing out the attic of stuff that they bought when they were alive, the stuff they never used, and pranking them got boring after the first day. Chuck (Charles, but I call him that to get on his nerves) was gone for work and Delia was, well, Delia. And lastly, Lyds was in the worst place in the breathers world. School. Did I mention that school is the worst? 

I prop myself on my elbows, letting my tie go and stare at the door as if though it just said it fucked my cat. Also known as a total look of bewilderment. How could I be so stupid?! I’m a bio-exorcist, for God/Satan's sake. I can go around some houses and scare the shit out of breathers! I have been summoned already so I could interact with the living world. A grin spread over my face at the thought of a scream, that beautiful sound, and I jump up to my feet. This is gonna be so much fun!

**___’s PoV:**

“C’mon. C’mon. C’mon!” I drive around the neighborhood, searching for that damn apartment complex.

“Where the fu- oh, there it is.” I slam my head against the steering wheel. I’ve gone past this area three times! I park, (ugh, parallel parking) and get out of the car, pulling out my backpack and duffle bag. I plug my earphones into my phone and press shuffle on my “feeling better” playlist. Time to start fresh.

**BJ’s PoV:**

Wow. This could not get more boring. Flying around, of course, invisible to anybody who would bother to look up, and searching for a good household to scare was proving more difficult than it was supposed to be.

“Stupid Monday with its stupid societal requirements of work and school- oh hoo hoo, what do we have here?” I mutter to myself as I backtrack to a window of an apartment building. A person was pacing around their apartment, putting stuff away and shifting furniture and boxes. Newly moved in. Perfect.

I faze through the wall, surprisingly to hear Queen fade into my ears, and pick up an important-looking box and place it on top of a dark duffle bag, away from where it was before. The person shifts slightly and I freeze, hoping they don’t see me. Wait, I’m an idiot, I’m fucking invisible. 

They look towards their bag and their eyebrows knit together in confusion. _Wow, they’re cut-_ and we are not going down that rabbit hole. “C’mon- BJ, we are here to scare and not to…” My muttering fades as they make eye contact with me. _Ah shit, their eyes are pretty too._ They start walking toward me and I back up against the wall, confused as hell. I’m supposed to be invisible, what is going on? They walk up to me, and - _oh my god they’re so small_ \- reach right next to my ear and pluck their phone off the shelf. Right. I am an idiot. Just scare this breather, BJ, and move on. They skip to the next song and a small smile spreads along their face as the next song pops up. They hum along to the song, and turn away from me, walking away, and I can’t help but let my eyes follow their hips as they start moving with the music. I shake my head, knowing full well that my hair has tinges of pink at the moment. I can’t be scary with pink hair. 

_Snap out of it!_

They snap to a cymbal in the song and put their phone down on the rolled up in plastic coffee table, proceeding with unpacking. This was the moment! I walk up in front of an empty box they’re heading to (presumably to fold and put away), lean down so that there is just an inch or two between our noses and make myself visible. 

“Boo.”

Next thing I know, my ass is stuck inside the empty box that used to be behind me, my knees are to my chin, my eyes are tearing up, there is a dull ache starting up in my nose, and the person that I wanted to scare, without a beautiful scream, pops up from their hiding place behind the couch with a bat raised high.

**___’s PoV:**

My grip tightens on the bat as the man’s (is this seemingly human person even a human? He appeared out of nowhere!) shocked emerald eyes make eye contact with mine. His ruffled up hair and his beard, which was a bright green before, now had tinges of pink and red in them. _Yep, not human._ His striped suit seemed to be ages old and — wait, is that moss??

I’m knocked out of my own thoughts as the man starts laughing. 

“Wo-how-how-hoooow, babes, you really have a great arm on ya! How bout you use it for something else?” His "century-old smoker who tried quitting but decided to do cocaine instead" voice splits the quietl song the speaker's playing and I blink at him, eyebrows raised. He wiggles his eyebrows, grinning, his canines (that are way too long to be human) glinting at me. I blink again, fighting down the flush of red going up to my cheeks, but it proves to be easy, provided I’m more interested in the situation. Wait, is that… 

I walk around the couch, still on guard but I leave the bat on the couch. Something tells me I won’t need it. The man visibly shifts, realizing what position he is in. Yeah. As I thought. His hair is changing color. His green locks seem to be shifting more and more from green to purplish-pink. I look at his face and see that he is looking anywhere but at me, a panicked expression on his face.

**BJ’s PoV:**

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!_ I’ve lost all my momentum! They’ll never be scared of me now, and why the fuck hasn’t this box fallen apart yet??? It’s like, cardboard.

“Fascinating…” Their voice cuts through the silence, and I realize that the music is off. To my reluctance, my eyes drag back to them at the sound of their voice. Their eyes seem to have lit up with stars as they examine me in an almost predatory way.

“Like what you see?” I chuckle out nervously, irked at the feeling of being like a lab rat, but they don’t seem to notice. They ignore me and turn around… to grab a retractable knife off the coffee table, bending down. _Ooooh, that as - cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. This is fine. Dammit, get it together!_ I shift, very much uncomfortable with this situation. Goddammit. They turn around and look back at me. I grin again, wiggling my eyebrows. They raise a brow, unimpressed and glance up at my hair. At that, they still have a look of wonder. I bite my lower lip, thinking of how to get out of this situation.

Looking off to the side and having what seems to be an epiphany, they place the knife in their pocket and cross their arms, situating themselves on the coffee table. 

“Well? When do you think you’re gonna get out of the box?”

“Eh?” I blanch, confused. They sigh, exasperated.

“Come on, you just popped up out of thin air in front of me. I’m sure you can get out of a cardboard box.” They gesture to me, crossing their legs and lean their cheek on one hand.

“Ah, heh, riiiight..” Welp, I’m a certified idiot. I float myself out of the box and sit down in front of it, unsure of what to do with myself. I look back up at them, confused out of my mind. Why the fuck are they so calm?

**___’s PoV:**

_Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit. He can float, yep, not human, alright, keep it together._ My thoughts decide to re-enact the beginning of the song “Fight for Me” from the musical “Heathers” as I struggle to keep a calm look on my face.

“So? Care to explain?”


	2. Kindly Begone

**___'s PoV:**

We both say it at the same time. He stares at me and I feel my face scrunch up. 

“You first,” I state, motioning him to keep going. As I slide down to the floor to his level, I cross my arms over my chest, mentally kicking myself for letting him go first. In mere seconds after I situate myself on the floor, my face is met with a bombardment of questions and a breath that definitely needed Listerine, toothpaste, and a ton of mints. My nose scrunches up as the man gets closer to my face.

“Why are you so calm? How are you so calm? Why did you let me ask first? I’m almost rambling at this point. Why aren’t you afraid of me?” Yep, regretting him go first. His right arm holds his entire weight now on the coffee table and I realize he is very, very, very close. I send him a bitch face and put a hand on his chest, pushing him away. 

“Seriously? I have worse nightmares about job hunting than you popping up in front— are you fucking purring?” My mind completely switches over as a purr like sound comes from the man, and his face gains more color than it had before, the blush a shocking contrast with his pale skin. 

“Nooooo… yeah, I am. Not exactly my fault considering the position we are in.” He sends a grin my way and pushes himself up so that I have to look up at him. I look down and realize a few things that are happening. 

1\. My hand is still on this man’s chest.  
2\. I do not know this man, yet this is surprisingly the most comfortable interaction I’ve had with another being aside from dogs in a long time. (This I shall never admit out loud)  
3\. He is very close to straddling me.  
4\. His face is very close and I cannot move back, due to the coffee table.  
5.And his beard is turning pink, which I don’t think is a good sign.

**End result: Danger Zone.**

I push him off and stand up, placing my hands on my hips with a huff. He pouts from the floor, but his hair is still that damn shade of pink.

“What’s the deal with the hair?” I ask, walking around him and inspecting it closer. He looks up at me, raising an eyebrow, and snorts.

“Really? That’s your first question? Not who am I? Not what am I? Or how did I appear out of thin air? Or why am I here?” He sends another lazy grin up at me and I roll my eyes, standing back up.

**BJ’s PoV:**

“Just answer mine and your last four questions. Too much work asking them myself.” They turn around and head into what appears to be the kitchen, assuming that I will follow them. I do. Why am I following them, someone might ask. Because they’ve piqued my interest and I am very fucking bored.

I float after them as they keep themselves busy around the kitchen, probably making tea. My eyes start dragging down their body as they walked, and I force myself to look around, knowing full well that my dashing looks can only do so much if they notice me checking them out. I look around and notice that there aren’t actually that many boxes. The count could’ve possibly been ten max. I dig the curtains though, they were stripped, black and white, probably IKEA. Oh, heck yeah, they got cereal and —

“Are you pouring alcohol into your cup?” I whisper into their ear, my head popping in next to theirs. They flinch, shivering and I raise an eyebrow, a small smirk gathering itself on my face. Interesting. They whirl around, looking irked.

“No! I mean, you have eyes and look at the bottle.” The bottle tag clearly states whiskey. “And damn it, why aren’t you obeying the laws of physics?” They complain, throwing up their hands. Hands that contained a cup. A cup that contained liquid. Their eyes widen as they realize what they’ve done and I get ready to ridicule them. Then they look behind me and their eyes widen. I turn around, following their eyes. There was nothing there.

And there wasn’t a sound of a splatter.

I turn back to the person, but they’re not there. I look around and see them leave the kitchen. Oooooh, what just happened?

“Sweetheart, where ya going? What just happened?” I land on my feet and hurry after them. They turn around to me and frown, sweating a bit. 

“What do you mean? And you didn’t answer my questions, therefore, I have no obligation to answer yours.” They take a sip of their drink, which now I am sure is whisky mixed with something else. I groan, not exactly in the mood for games. Which was very odd, considering what games I could be into.

“I am a bio-exorcist. I am a demon and a ghost with the most, babes. I have magical powers of a fucken demon. Aaaand the original plan was to scare the living shit outta you, but that obviously failed. Satisfied?” I ramble out, racking my brain for answers and making sure to not give too much info away. They ponder a bit over my answer and nod in approval. They clap and smile at me. But not _that gosh darn cute-_ no, simple smile when they switched that song before I revealed myself, no. This smile was cold and fake and definitely something the stereotype of a white, suburban, soccer mom would kill for when talking about her casserole.

“Thank you for the info. Anyway, you broke into my apartment, now kindly get out of it.” They motion towards the door. I splutter, faking offense.

“You don’t get to pin this break-in on me.” I put my hand on my chest as if though I was saying I was an “independent woman who needed no man” while holding my pearls. My pearls, though, are much lowe— They sigh, bringing my attention back.

“But you are the one who broke in!” They shake their hands at me. Quickly, I grab their wrists - _oh my god their hands are so small can they get any cuter??_ — to stop the shaking, and they do. I walk closer still holding their wrists and notice something quite intriguing. Instead of pushing me away like last time, they freeze. A flush at the contact comes up their neck and over their cheeks. I fight the urge to giggle at this. _They can!!!_ This was so cheesy, like something straight out of a fanfiction that was written at 1 am.

**__’s PoV:**

_Oh my gosh, his hands are so soft. Wait, no, this is not the reaction of a normal person to physical contact from an absolute stranger. Push him off!!!_

I tug at my hands, trying to pull away and he lets me go, his eyes glinting as if he knows something I don’t. I pull my hands away, trying to calm down. He raises his hands up in surrender and steps away.

“Now that I made it weird, I will make my exit.” He winks at me, fucking winks, and heads to the door, but not before leaving something in the coffee table. He opens the door and before leaving, he turns back to me, who is still frozen in the middle of the living room.

“I’ll see you around, m’kay babes?” And with that, he disappears into the doorway, the door closing with a soft click.


	3. Wet Pants (who knows in what way)

_____’s PoV:

It has been a week since the odd and quite interesting meeting. _Putting aside the facts that he broke in, is an actual demon, and flirted with me endlessly, he didn’t seem that bad. **Okay, okay, okay, reel it in there pal, those are all red flags. We know what happened with the last red flag persona.** Of course I know those are red flags, but what's better to do than think what happened over? **Maybe continue your fruitless search for a job?** Right._

Sitting on the couch , I take a sip of coffee, trying to wake up. I sigh, continuing scrolling through the “Help Wanted: Part-time Edition” website, which really needed redecoration.

“Kindergarten teacher assistant? Not good with kids. So that crosses off babysitter as well.”

Scroll.

“High School substitute teacher? Oh my god, not going back to that shit hole again. And yikes, teenagers.”

Scroll.

“House cleaner? Doesn’t seem that bad— and it’s in Canada.”

Scroll.

“Librarian… And the location’s correct as well. Seems pretty cool, not much person interaction.”

“Do you always talk to yourself?” That motherloving god/satan forsaken voice asks. I jolt, spilling the coffee onto my lap. A string of curses leaves me as I shoot up, putting the cup down away from the laptop. I glare to the window sill where the guy situated himself. There was no way in hell I would admit that I was relieved he was here, not even to myself. No. Way.

“Ah, shit, my bad.” He gives me a sheepish grin, not looking apologetic at all. In fact, he looked quite entertained. I frown, admitting something out loud before I could stop.

“You scared me.” Shit. Too much info, he’s gonna leave now and it’s all my fau— what is he doing? His grin turns into something that could beat the Cheshire Cat’s grin as he registers what I said. Oh no, he is not going to let this go. I find myself wondering if it’s worse than him leaving. _**That sounded desperate as hell and you know that.** Yeah, yeah, shut the fuck up._ Floating over to me, he bats his eyelashes, putting his hands under his chin.

“Well, sweetheart, I am naturally terrifying.” His face is too close. Again. I shove him away by placing a hand on his face as he snickers, a measly attempt to hide the smile that was forming on my face. _This guy was annoying as hell, but damn, he has a small charm to him._ And then he fucking licks my hand before I can pull it away. _Yup, am now taking those words back._ My face scrunches up in a grimace and I pull it away, shaking it as if though it would rid me of the feeling. I try my best not to take notice of the fact that his tongue was super long and goddammit it, it was striped as well. And I most definitely ignore the fact that my face heating up right this second.

What was wrong with me today?!

I wipe my hand on the dry side of my pajama pants, and glare at him.

“What are you doing here?” I seethe, the threat in my voice non-existent, mentally deciding that changing clothes with him in the apartment wasn’t the best idea. Thankfully,  
PJ pants save the day by being a dark color. He grins at me, (Again?! How does this guy smile so much?) and shrugs, his face changing into a playful pout.

“It’s been a while, I’m bored, and I wanted to see if my new source of entertainment is still here and hasn’t moved out.” Ouch, that last one stung. Almost reminded me of— I send him a bitch face, putting my hands on my hips. Then I sigh, knowing full well that it was too early for this.

“Couldn’t you have, y’know, waited for another three hours and not show up at 5 am?” I pick up my now empty cup and walk into the kitchen area, placing it in the sink.

BJ’s PoV:

 _They looked cute flushing, aaand they really need to change those pants. Maybe I should help—_ I shove the thoughts away. Begone thots! (Note for later, thank Lyds for introducing me to memes.)

“Maybe you shouldn’t have woken up this early.” I shoot back, trying to avoid letting my eyes move down their body as I sit on the kitchen island. They shake their hand next to their ear as if though they could swat the words away, and I finally notice how tired they look. Sure they looked tired during our last meeting, but right now they looked exhausted. The dark circles under their eyes made them look like a raccoon and, unlike me, it was not a great look in them.

“Yeah, woken up…” I hear them mumble, but I pretend I don’t hear it. There are a tiny bit more important things at hand. But I keep the comment in my head for later.

“Blah! Potato, potato. Want anything to drink?” They say it louder than the previous comment. I raise my eyebrows. Then I frown. Then I put my chin in my hand, thinking.(I know! Very uncommon of me.) _Why are they…_

“Stop thinking about what to drink as if it’s the point of life, just say one.” They nervously laugh out and I have to bite my tongue to avoid making a comment about the small crack in their voice. They sigh,— _damn, how many times have they sighed in my presence_ — and open their fridge. An idea on how to introduce myself comes to mind.

“Juice!” I exclaim, a sudden surge of energy filling my head. They flinch and for some reason, a pang of, _what the hell did Lydia call it, ah,_ guilt hits the pit of my stomach. _Why do I feel worried for this person? Barely know them._

“I mean, can I have some juice?” I lower my volume and they send an unreadable look my way. They shake their head and look through their fridge again. Are they leaning down like that on purpose?

“Anything specific?” 

“Not really. By the way, is it your usual to walk around in soaked pants or is it just a one time show for yours truly?” I float up again, making sure my stomach faces down and away from view. They freeze as they reach for a cup in the cupboard, seemingly remembering that they are soaked at the bottom half. And, not sure whether to my dismay or to my luck (luck? liar, liar, pants on fire!) , not in that other entertaining way.

“Go change, I’m fully capable of pouring myself a drink.” I move my hand and shift them to the side a bit. _I am playing it so cool right now!! Like Agent 007, or some bullshit like that!_ I replace them at the kitchen table, motioning them to go ahead. They look at me, probably confused out of their mind. I look back at them, expecting confusion. It’s a pleasant surprise when I see no confusion in their face. Only awe. 

“Did you just move me without actually making conta—” I shush them and scott them out of the kitchen area.

“Go change, we need to talk.” _Hell yeah we do, like what was that during the last meeting? What happened then? Why. No. Splatter._

“That is the most serious I’ve seen you in the total of our two meetings.” I snicker at that and I am met back with a — _oh god this is blinding, help_ — genuine smile. _Ah, shite._

“I will be right back. Don’t break anything.” With that, they leave the room


	4. Hey There, Sexy

___’s PoV

Whoaaaa, what just happened? What forced me to walk out of the room not on my own— right. Possession. _**The trust bar is hella low for this guy, check if he’s back in the kitchen?** Roger._

I find myself leaning back into the doorway, eyeing the guy now humming to himself. _Is that the Mii Channel—nope, stay on track._

I quickly go change, my senses screaming to not do it. _**Well, aren’t you a person of your word?** Ah well…. Shut up._

As I walk back to the kitchen, I find myself wondering what’s about to happen, and what he wanted to talk about. I lean on to the doorway, my nerves frayed and my temper raised.

BJ’s PoV:

I shiver as my hold on them breaks the moment they leave the room. Wowza, strong fucker. Well, nothing I can do now but wait. Endless. Waiting. My eye twitches, the boredom setting in again. _Oooor, you could just turn invisible again and take a small peek._

I turn to do exactly that and then I see them again. In all of their pissed off — _hot as fuck, when did they get so hot_ —glory. Well, color me aroused. And wow, that was quick.  
“God/Satan, help me,” I mumble as I take a sip of the juice. They fumble for words as they walk towards me, their eyes darting around. Their eyes snap to me. 

“Do you understand how dangerous it is to flaunt your powers around unknown people,” _Is it?_ “And to use them on a living person?” _It’s no biggie._ “The audacity— I mean, why would you-” They pause and I realize they’re shivering with either rage or an upcoming panic attack. _Shit._ I set the cup down, and move away from the counter, making sure there is space between us.

“Alright. Look, sweetheart. I need you to breathe with me,” I lower my volume, and raise my hands up, showing my palms. This was not going as planned. _Why am I even here again? **The original plan was to scare the poor son of a butch. Then it was to interrogate them about the no splash thing. But nooooo, you are now calming them down, aren’t ya?** Look who is a ray of fucking sunshine today. _

“Hon. Breathe, it’s okay,”

“I don’t need to calm down and no, it’s not okay,” They snap and I reel back a bit.

“Sorry,” They sigh and brush back their hair with their left hand. As their hand travels up, so does their shirt, revealing their stomach. My eyes snap down as I stare at the area, entranced. Good god/satan, the way that the sweatpants hug their waist, _boy oh boy_ -

They notice where my eyes go and immediately lower their arm, their face flushing with embarrassment. I snap out of it, yet my gaze lingers at where the sight used to be. I look back up at them

“Nah, it’s my fault,” Their eyes snap back to me, confusion and something else (relief?) evident in their eyes. I lean back against the counter and pick at my teeth, surprised at what I said, yet try my best to keep it cool. _What. The. Fuck. What was that? Why did I say that? And why did they look so relieved?_ I shake off the questions and the new, and yet unidentified feelings. Gonna have to ask Lydia about that later. I float up again, sitting on the ceiling. Their eyes follow me with interest.

“Why are you still here?” They ask, pouring themselves a cup of coffee. They look up at me as if it's the most normal thing that I am defying gravity. I shrug, my tie slapping me in the face. I brush it down, or, well, up and send them a smile.

“I did say we need to talk.”

___’s PoV

I stare up at him and feel my neck start to cramp. I move to lean against the kitchen island, motioning him to join me.

“Yeah, I think we do.” His head snaps to me in the most unnatural way. I find myself suppressing the urge to shiver. 

“Did you just… agree with me?” He floats down next to me, his eyes wide with shock. I grimace, rolling my eyes.

“Oh, I wish I could take-” He moves towards me and his hand clamps over my mouth. He leans against me, using his other arm to support himself, and I feel my knuckles press against my lower back. Yikes.

“Nope! You said it! No take-backs!” His eyes sparkle with excitement, his breath a warm spot on my nose. My nose scrunches up, and I shift, trying to push him off. Unfortunately- _**Are you sure it’s unfortunate?** … yes, yes I am sure._\- for me, my hands currently find themselves pinned behind my back. He notices our position, a mischievous grin spreading wider on his features.

“Hey there, sexy.” He wiggles his eyebrows, lowering his voice to a whisper. I roll my eyes, freeing my hands and pushing him off. I ignore the flush at the back of my neck as an idea dawned on me.

“Well, **sexy** ,” I put emphasis on sexy as I stalk towards him. He takes a step back, his hair turning pinker by the second. He bumps into the kitchen counter, but keeps his eyes on me, green eyes wild. I place a hand next to his side, leaning against him. 

For a solid five seconds, nothing but our breathing fills the room as we stare at each other. The moment he blinks, I back up. I tap his nose.

“Do you have a name, or do I need to come up with more elaborate pet names?” With that question, I back up to the kitchen island leaning on it, a playful smile on my face. He growls, standing to his full height. He pats his chest, fixing his suit to the best of his ability. Which isn’t much.

“Well, **sweetheart** ,” He sends me a tight smile, and I shoot a mock one back at him. “I, unfortunately, can’t say my name, stupid Netherworld rules and all that.” He crosses his arms, legs, and makes an elaborate gesture, floating up. _Dayum, that must be so comfy._ My eye twitches as my smile turns to the colder side.

“Are you always trying to rile people up like this?” I question, pulling myself up onto the kitchen island. I swing my legs, the quiet becoming irritating.

“It’s kind of my job. I’m bitter and complicated. It’s one of my charms.” He winks at me, lying down. A confused look crosses my features.

“I don’t think you know what that word means. Or how to count.” I tilt my head, a small smile spreading on my face. He laughs boisterously, clearly more entertained that he was when he arrived. I lean my head back, thinking about what we will talk about, why is he this interested in me, and how I can get his name.


	5. Lookie Here, We've Got Names

**BJ’s PoV:**

My body shakes from laughing. Well damn! This proved to be more fun than I thought it would be. I look back at them and oh, good lord…. In a glorious-unpainted-canvas sight, I view their neck, and how **empty** it was. I lick my lips, trying my best to stay in one spot. Hold it. I jump up onto the counter, swinging my legs. Looking down, I will myself to not jump somebody particular within the vicinity.

“The drink I asked for is the second part of my name. Or at least how breathers and other cryptids pronounce it usually,” I suggest, looking back up at them again. Frustration strikes through me at their manner of dragging everything out, and that they were. Still. Looking. Up. Exposing. That. Neck.

Their eyes shift back to me and they raise their head. I feel my shoulders slump in relief and let go of the counter. Sensing something on my fingers, I move my hand to my face and realize it’s dust from the stone. Looking down, I notice small cracks in the countertop. Oops.

“Juice?” They question, seemingly more interested. I see their eye twitch at the damage, yet they don’t comment. _The game, Mrs. Hudson, is on!_ (Another note to self, beg Lyds to continue watching Sherboi again. Hope she will, given how much I ask about it.) Clapping giddily, I nod.

“You got it, babes!” I smile, feeling more hyperactive (than usual). _Now we’re getting somewhere!_

“Then, what is the first part?” They muse, leaning forward. I deflate, wanting to make this more fun. I hop off the slab, pacing around the kitchen. _What should I do? What should I do? Oh!_ I stop in an instant, my head snapping to them. Stalking towards them, my eyes widen.

“Are you scared of anything?” I quip and watch as a shadow passes over their face. They shift, looking rather uncomfortable. _Ooooooh, I smell fear and a dramatic backstory._ My smile turns predatory as my eyes widen.

“You are! Can I know? Can I know?” I jump up to them again, my nose mere inches from theirs. Their noses scrunches up - _Like a very cute bunny snake!!! **Jesus Christ. Wait, what’s a bunny sna**_ \- and push me away yet again. I let them, vibrating in place. They let out a scoff.

“You’re getting off subject. I asked about the first part of your name and am sent a question that has nothing to do with this whatsoever in return.” They state. Obviously. With a “you’re an idiot” look. 

~~**_“Lawrence, god-fucking-dammit you idiot, where did you put the bag with the alcohol?”_ ** ~~

**___’s PoV:**

It appears my light tone did not pass on well, for the guy’s facial expression turned painfully distant and his hair started turning blue. Shit, I know that look.

Carefully, I slide off the counter and walk up to him, as slowly as possible. The tips of his hair in an instant spread down to his scalp, creating a painful blue. I grimace, guilt drilling itself into my chest. With care, I take his hands, running my thumbs over his knuckles. His hands seem strangely warm, and I start chewing my bottom lip with worry. His eyes meet mine, his look haunted. It was odd seeing him without a smile.

“If you want to know,” I start, making my mind up. “I go by ___.” I give him a soft smile, searching through his eyes for that spark again. While my eyes search, my mind screams. **_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!_** I push it away as he looks down at my hands, then his eyes go back up to me, his eyes snapping back to focus. A grin spreads onto his face and I find myself sighing in relief at the return of the energy.

“You do know, babes, that names are powerful, right?” He questions, his eyes sparkling. I look up at his hair, seeing that it’s going to the previous green, and nod.

“Of course I do. That’s why you gotta share yours,” After I say this, he looks down. My eyes follow his gaze and I realize that I am still holding on to his hands. I pull back with a snap, my face heating up as I back up and away from him. There goes my stranger-contact quota for the day.

“Hm,” He taps his chin, looking like he's back to normal. _What is a norm for him anyway?_ Gasping, he jumps up and heads back into the living room. Confused, I follow. He stops next to my computer, motioning with his hands to open it. I do so.

“You can search up stuff on these things, right? Like, anything,” He questions, jumping on the balls of his feet. He starts rambling about how technology has come so far in the breather world. Including that, bits and pieces about how shit the tech in the Netherworld slips out. I let out a soft laugh, finding this whole situation quite wholesome. _He is being very cute right no-_

“Yeah, do you want to search up the first part of your name?” I ask, a little sad that I interrupt him. “Since you can’t say it and all that jazz, according to the requirements for born-dead demons down there.” I hum, opening the computer, sitting down on the couch.

**BJ’s PoV:**

I freeze as ___ interrupts me and says something about born-dead demons. _Wait a second..._

“I didn’t tell you that.” I look at them and they freeze, their fingers floating over the keyboard. They turn to me, their brows knitted in confusion. _Or are they just feigning it?_

“Tell me what?” They ask as a waft of panic fills my senses. Oh, something shifty is going down. I frown, curiosity filling my senses.

“That I am a born-dead demon. I gotta give you credit, you’re great at acting confused.” I lean down, placing a knee on the couch for support, sniffing. Their face scrunches up with more confusion, the waft turning to a stench.

“What are you talking about? And we are, again, off subject.” They question, their voice not giving off even a single crack or weakness. Yet the smell dissipated and their eyes turned cold. Controlled. I look at them, the sense of curiosity filling my chest even more. This is getting more interesting by the second.

“Nothing,” I reply nonchalantly. _First, to the matter at hand, you can ask them later about this._ “Just search up a rhinoceros insect.” They give me a confused look.

“A rhinoceros insect?” They question, but upon sensing that I am letting go of the topic, they shut their mouth. They hurriedly do so, the scent of relief washing over me in lavender form. I grit my teeth, knowing full well that my patience runs thinner and thinner by the second. _Goddammit, what is going on? How did they know that?_ Bringing up a hand to my face, I start chewing on the nail of my thumb, surely chipping away the black nail polish.

“Beetle?” They echo from the search, and my head snaps to them. I see them shiver at the speed and a grin spreads across my face.

“Beetlejuice?” They look back up at me, an odd look on their face. A powerful energy tugs at my chest as the name leaves their mouth. I click my tongue, feeling giddier.

“Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!!!” I raise my hands up in victory. _Finally, another breather outside the Deetz family knows my name!_ I lower my hands, fiddling with my tie.

“Just use abbreviations, it’s a fairly powerful name that summons me,” I warn them. Nodding, they start murmuring different nicknames. _Or sends me back._ I add mentally, jumping up. This knocks them out of their loop. I stretch my arms over my head. A tug of summoning pulls at my chest and disdain fills my head. Seems like I’ll be leaving soon.

“Well, babes, I, unfortunately, can’t stay for much longer. Seems like someone’s summoning me,” _Probably Lyds._ I swear that a disappointed look flashes over their face as they shrug, but I push it off as wishful thinking.

“Back to the pet names? And that’s fine, you have a job to do, Beej,” I let out a laugh, and place a hand on their shoulder. I withhold the fact that the person summoning me does not identify as an employer, and shake my head.

“We didn’t leave them behind, __, and nice nickname for yours truly,” I twist my torso, stretching. I find myself feeling unsure of what to do with myself until I’m summoned completely. Sensing a second tug, I know that a third one will happen soon and that I have to say something as a farewell.

“Think you’ll miss me for long?” I question. ___ shrugs and motions to their computer. Letting out a laugh, they reply.

“Anything is better than job hunting,” They smile at me and I know for a fact my hair started changing color. I smile back.

“See you later?” They ask, looking unsure. A small squeak comes from me before I can stop myself and I find myself shaking my hands with excitement. _They actually want me to come back!_ I send finger guns their way.

“See you later!” With that, the third tug pulls at my chest, and I am gone.

**____’s PoV:**

The moment he exclaims his farewell, Beej pops out of existence, leaving a cloud of green smoke behind. I let out a sigh, pushing down the thoughts that screamed that I sounded too desperate. _What’s done stays in the past. **Unless it comes back to bite you in the ass later.**_

Rubbing my collar bone, I look back at my computer. I think back to what I let slip about my knowledge of the Netherworld. _That was a close call._ Shaking off the sense of unease, I sit down, contemplating whether I should continue my hunt for a job or not. I decided not to, and to get a bit of sleep.

Situating myself on the couch, I close my eyes, thinking about what happened. Then my mind drifts off to thoughts of a grocery shop need, and then back to a particular green-haired demon. Finally, I find myself drifting off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> well, this is the first part, or chapter, or whatever. hope whoever read this enjoyed it. 
> 
> post first on @ceaseexistence-writes on Tumblr, then here.


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